Russian heavy bomber crash-lands in Murmansk region, killing 2 crew

This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.

A Russian long-range bomber has crash-landed in the Arctic, killing two of its crew of four, the Defense Ministry said on January 22.

The Tu-22M3 bomber crashed while landing in a blizzard after a routine training flight in the Murmansk region north of the Arctic Circle, the ministry’s press service said, adding that two crew members were killed while two others were hospitalized.

The bomber wasn’t carrying weapons, according to the ministry’s statement, which was carried by Russian news agencies.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear.

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The Interfax news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying the crash occurred near the Olenya military base, an airfield of Russia’s Long-Range Aviation on the Kola Peninsula.

The Tu-22M3 is a twin-engine supersonic heavy bomber built in the 1980s.